After the end of the Cold War, a conception to form regional economic community such as ASEAN or even regional political community such as European Union was suggested in Northeast Asia for a long time. And scholars from Korea, China and Japan have been searching for appropriate measures for decades to implement this scheme. Nonetheless, the North Korean nuclear issue, China’s rapid economic and military growth that alarms the neighboring states, and the historical scars left by the Imperial Japan are remained as major obstacles to the implementation of regional community in Northeast Asia. However, there have been changes in Northeast Asia that generate significant impacts on the regional order in the first half of 2018. First, the North Korean nuclear issue, the largest security concern of the region, is finding a clue to the solution as the states involved with the issue embarked on denuclearizing North Korea through peaceful means. On the other hand, the U.S.-China trade war spilled over to other areas, escalating the two powers’ strategic competition. The former case has increased the possibility of accelerating regional economic cooperation with North Korea as well as establishing peace regime on the Korean peninsula. Also, the latter case has steered China to launch a more conciliatory foreign policy to North Korea and Japan, which ultimately gives an impetus to regional cooperation. This article discusses the possibility of a shift in the regional order from conventional geopolitics to geo-economics that pursues coexistence and prosperity in Northeast Asia. Also, I intend to look into some constraint factors and draw out possible solutions.